Pride in Place v. Big Local

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Hamp and parts of Westover in south Bridgwater, Somerset have been awarded a place in the government’s Pride in Place programme. They will receive up to £20m of public funds over the next 10 years.

The boundary of the programme area is defined by MSOA E02006073

The funding will be for local people to spend on what matters most to them. Sound familiar? It should, because it’s very like the Big Local programme.

Big Local was run by Local Trust and launched in 2012 with 150 communities receiving over £1m to spend over ten years. Local residents were in charge and the money could be spent on almost anything. The programme has just finished (it lasted a bit more than 10 years) so there has been much recent reflection on its achievements, successes and lessons.

I was lucky to work for Local Trust on the Big Local programme for about 10 years. I was a Rep (a sort of facilitating role, providing guidance at a local level) for four communities in the South West, ran a national series of environment workshops and supported other communities write their delivery plans. I also project managed some major investment projects contracted directly by local areas. Plus I’ve worked on a number of other major funding programmes or projects within them (SRB5, Youth Investment Fund, INTERREG, HLF etc).

So from my perspective, what can Pride in Place learn from Big Local and other investment programmes?

  1. It takes time for residents to respond to the huge task of engaging in a programme of this size and complexity. Good outcomes for local people will not come from rushing the process. A lot of hand-holding will be needed, people will come and go, there will be false starts but they will get there in the end. Just don’t expect it to be tomorrow.
  2. Government understands “local decision making” to mean something different to the lady at 34 Anywhere Avenue. For government it’s the local council (so Somerset or possibly Bridgwater Town) but for No.34 it’s her street and the ones around it. Clarity as to what ‘local’ means is essential from the outset.
  3. Unlike Big Local the Pride in Place programme (PiPP) expects local councils and even the local MP to be actively involved (in Big Local they could be involved but were not allowed to be in charge). A ‘Neighbourhood Board’ has to be established and an independent chair appointed to run that Board. That immediately sounds very formal and structured. This will do nothing for encouraging community participation with committee type structures being alien and excluding for many people. Creative solutions will be needed to ensure that local people play a meaningful part in making decisions.
  4. There is a risk that Councils will put themselves in the role of delivery body and recruit sizable teams of staff to run the programme from remote offices. Council departments will then start bidding for allocations of the money to deliver their priority projects. As a result local people will end up with just the leftovers. When I worked in Hartcliffe, Bristol on the SRB5 programme there was vocal scepticism of the ‘professionals’ taking over. So they setup their own charity controlled by local residents but supported by the Council to manage the £13m fund. The charity employed the staff, provided the office, wrote the delivery plan and made sure residents were in charge.
  5. Time pressures imposed from London (or wherever the programme is run from) can easily conflict with the local need to move more slowly. Politicians want action, Treasury wants expenditure, the press wants a story. But at the street level there’s only so much time available to get to understand what’s involved, to find your place in a new group and work out how to make decisions. In that gap between nationally set timescales and the time taken to do stuff locally there is a risk that decisions will be steam-rollered through without local people really understanding them or, in the worst cases, even agreeing to them. The independent chair, whoever that is, will have to ensure that that doesn’t happen.
  6. Local people will have lots of ideas but they need employed staff to make them happen. Really good community workers are invaluable. Few councils employ community workers any more so they have to be found elsewhere.
  7. Investing in assets owned by local organisations that can generate their own income is key to a lasting legacy from the programme. In Lawrence Weston, Bristol they invested in a solar farm and wind turbine which will provide a secure income for decades to come. But in Whitleigh, Plymouth where there were huge gains in community empowerment and capacity the legacy is much less certain as they were unable to develop an asset which would generate a long term income.
  8. Investment in assets can also be transformative for the organisation that owns them. The Youth Investment Fund has shown the changes and benefits that improving youth buildings can deliver for young people and residents. And when the improvement includes investment in energy conservation, how it can provide financial security for many years to come.
  9. From the outset a small grants programme for local groups and organisations can build confidence and support for the programme, quickly putting money where it is most needed. Radstock & Westfield Big Local have been running a very popular ‘Dragons Den’ event for the last ten years which has given residents a vote in who gets the funding.
  10. Devising a programme that is light on bureaucracy and quick to allocate funding is essential for maintaining local support.

Community Ownership Fund Success

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I’m thrilled that the Petersfield Partnership in Cheltenham, with whom I’ve been working for the last three years, have been successful in their application to the Community Ownership Fund with the award of £450,000.

The Partnership wants to build a Community & Sports Hub to provide facilities for both local residents, especially those in The Moors and St Peter’s, and Cheltenham Saracens FC. The new Hub will replace some knackered shipping containers and secure a long term future in the ownership of a community run charity. We got planning permission in January and have spent this year working up project details.

I was initially asked to work on the business plan for the project. This was extended a year ago to preparing a funding strategy and then from April this year the management of the whole project. Working closely with the Partnership, Cheltenham Saracens, Cheltenham Borough Council and St Peter’s and The Moors Big Local the proposals were reconfigured, the costs were reviewed with the help of Adams Fletcher Quantity Surveyors, and funding proposals submitted to Big Local and COF. The business planning and application forms were an exercise in mental gymnastics, but we got there!

We have now been offered over 80% of its £1m phase 1 funding target. We hope to be on site with construction early next year and to be up and running by December 2024.

Temporary Tactical Urbanism

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That’s a mouthful, but this example from Ohio clearly shows how short term projects of just a day or two can help stimulate lasting change in urban environments. https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/5/9/4-permanent-impacts-of-temporary-tactical-urbanism-projects

There are more details at https://www.betterblock.org/

And of course in the UK there are traditions of street markets, play streets and street parties as a way of temporarily changing how a road is used and putting it over to people.

The design and use of urban spaces will be explored at the next Big Local environment cluster event which Julian and colleague Margaret Jackson are running on 8 July in Sheffield. https://localtrust.org.uk/big-local/events/environment-cluster-lived-environment-and-the-public-realm/

How to Cook a Community Food Project

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In 2020, during the second COVID lockdown, a new food project started in the town of Wiveliscombe in Somerset.   The idea had been kicking around even before COVID; to find a way of taking surplus food from the shops and turning it into nutritious meals.  But COVID isolations and lockdowns brought a new focus.

Wiveliscombe is a small market town, nestling in the foothills of Exmoor. It has just under 3,000 residents but is well provided for with local shops and services given its large rural catchment area. The population profile leans towards the older end of the spectrum. In terms of wealth and poverty levels it is middling; some people are very comfortable while others are struggling to get by.

The food project has brought all kinds of people together, some motivated by the desire to help their neighbours, many inspired by Marcus Rashford’s work on food poverty and others arriving from climate and environmental campaign groups.  

To help communities learn from and possibly duplicate the project, we’ve set out details of the project below, in the form of a (relatively easy to follow) recipe.

Good luck – it’s a delicious feast!

Ingredients

1 x chef.  Kate is our resident chef. She trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London before becoming a food writer, caterer and teacher at Bordeaux Quay in Bristol and her own Walled Garden Cookery School in Cornwall.

1 x steering group. Three local people including Kate. Rosie B coordinates the volunteers and prepares the work rotas. Sue H does all the outreach in the community. 

1 x kitchen. We were lucky to find that our rugby club had fitted out its kitchen to a professional standard about 10 years ago. A new committee wanted the club to be more active in the community, just as the food project started looking for premises.

65kg food donation per week.  Our food comes from Fareshare in Bristol, picked up from their Taunton depot every Tuesday.  We don’t know what we’re getting until we get it.

A generous pinch of storage for food, ingredients, fridges and freezers.

1 bunch of other food donations.  People have been dropping in surplus veg from their allotments. A local farmer brought several trays of ‘small’ eggs. 

Assorted extra ingredients to taste.  There’s always something extra needed to turn the Fareshare supplies into a tasty meal. 

50 volunteers. In the first three weeks over 50 people came forward to be involved.  Some have lots of catering experience, others have none. Some will be beneficiaries of the project.  They work in teams of 6 on a monthly rotation.  About 20 have taken their Level 2 Food Hygiene certificates since we started.  Ten volunteers are drivers for food deliveries.

1 x host organisation.  Everything was setup really quickly so no time to constitute ourselves.  Wivey Cares is a local charity providing support for vulnerable residents and they kindly agreed to be our official face.

1 x community freezer.  The local church has allowed their freezer to be a community pick-up point for frozen meals. Customers simply log what they take.

Start-up funding. We had to get going at a rapid pace. Wivey Cares enabled us to get our publicity materials, the Rugby Club offered us the first month rent free and people donated generously to our weekly costs. Kate also put in her own money to get things going.

Weekly costs. The kitchen costs £50/week. Fareshare costs £25/week.  Other ingredients and supplies cost £50-100/week.

Preparation

  1. Kate was in touch with a number of Somerset food initiatives and the Council about a potential project in the area that could help address COVID hardship. Meanwhile other local people were thinking about a project to tackle food waste.
  2. Fareshare were approached but had no slots for the next few months. However, a local council officer was visiting Fareshare when a vacancy came up, and was able to promote the Wiveliscombe project as ‘oven ready’. Back in Wiveliscombe, confidence and experience had to make up for the lack of funding and a business plan but nevertheless food deliveries started the following week.
  3. Six local people quickly got together to make a plan. There was a huge rush to produce publicity, attract volunteers, get people through their Level 2 food hygiene certificates, find a kitchen, and buy equipment. 
  4. A Saturday street stall raised awareness. A test run in the kitchen provided hot soup for shoppers and brought in much needed donations.

Recipe 

(Serves 300)

  1. On Tuesday, armed with coolboxes and ice, Kate collects the Fareshare supplies from the depot 12 miles away. She takes it back to Wiveliscombe where she sorts through and logs everything, and refrigerates where necessary (she has a number of fridges in an out-building).
  2. Wednesday is spent planning recipes, buying any extra ingredients.
  3. 8am on Thursday, Kate arrives at the kitchen. A team of 8 volunteers follows – some of whom do the full day while others are replaced for the afternoon shift. It’s a COVID-safe workplace, but there’s an energetic vibe and spirits are high. The morning is spent prepping – chopping vegetables, making sauces, roasting vegetables, cooking chicken.
Tomato sauce prepped in the morning, ready for liquidising
  1. A hearty lunch is served (made during the morning) to all the volunteers.
  2. The afternoon is spent cooking the finished meals, combining the prepped ingredients from the morning and then packing into pots. Labels are attached and then they’re frozen.
  3. Cleaning up the kitchen and returning everything to the stores.
  4. Friday is distribution day with volunteers delivering meals, sometimes a full week’s worth, to those who need them.  Other meals are put in the freezer at the church where people can collect them according to their own need.  Some people want to pay – a guide price of £2/meal is given.  If 50% of people pay, that covers all the costs.
  5. Saturday. A stall outside the shops to drum up extra interest.  Hot soup is served in exchange for donations, which are sometimes very generous. 
Veggie beef stew

On the second week this is how it went.  The Fareshare supplies included:

  • 3 boxes of tofu turkey
  • 1 case of coconuts
  • 12 butternut squash
  • ½ case of sweet potatoes
  • ½ case of limes
  • Loads of potatoes
  • Pumpkins
  • Yellow peppers
  • Malformed skinless sausages
  • Wonky carrots
  • Chicken drumsticks
  • Vegan beef
  • 2 cases of soya milk
  • 30kg of dried fruit
  • Mozzarella and cheddar cheese

Extra supplies bought included soya sauce, lemon grass, olive oil, celery, foil and other small but essential items.

The finished meals included:

  • Three different soups (carrot & ginger, Thai vegetable and roast vegetable)
  • Veggie chicken pie with carrots and mash
  • Veggie beef and mash
  • Chicken stew with chard / carrots and mash / rice
  • Meatball casserole
  • Macaroni cheese

Number of meals cooked: 300

Volunteers also took home 2kg portions of the dried fruit to make Christmas cakes for distribution through the project.

After-dinner chat

After three weeks the project is going very well.  The number of volunteers is growing, a grant application of £5,000 has been approved (to be used for buying equipment), and all the key partners are very much on board (the rugby club even replaced a professional grade fridge which wasn’t chilling to the required temperatures).

Kate, the chef, has been key to the project working.  We are lucky to have someone with her experience of large scale catering and training.  But anyone with restaurant kitchen or catering experience will know how to prepare and produce meals at this scale.

There are questions about who is benefitting. The data (e.g. free school meals numbers in local schools) suggests that people in need are out there, but the GPs, NHS and Council will not share the information they hold.  So distribution relies upon word of mouth and local publicity.  The project is very aware of the need to protect the confidentiality of anyone receiving meals & in some situations is working through ‘gatekeepers’ who distribute the meals so the project never knows the identity of the recipients.    

In many cases people are collecting for vulnerable neighbours.  In other cases it might be people who have not eaten properly at home for years and welcome this helping hand.  Sue liaises with the schools, surgery, local parish councils, churches and village agents to build up our client base. People are encouraged to self-refer. So far, most of those using the service have been people living alone, often the elderly & families needing extra support, some living in isolated rural areas. 

Ability to pay is not always the obstacle to people eating healthy meals – so some are grateful for the meal and are very eager to pay.

There seem to be very few families using the service – it’s most people living alone.  How to reach those most in need (an estimated 200 families) and overcome their obstacles? Pride is thought to be a factor, so the project needs to present itself as empowering, not demeaning. We hope to access more families & children, working through the schools.

It is possible that some people who are not in need are taking meals.  The response to this is philosophical; a few people exploiting the system can be overlooked so long as the greater good is being served.

Not all meals are popular in this part of the country where meat still comes with two veg. Feedback on the beetroot soup from one elderly lady: “I’m not having that again – it went straight through me”. Other ingredients are alien to some customers – celeriac, what’s that?  Popular dishes include those with mashed potato.

Volunteers are learning so much from Kate who is bringing the tricks of the trade from restaurant kitchens to this community food project.  Huge amounts of preparation are essential, whether it is chopping vegetables, or preparing sauces that are then used in a number of different dishes. Efficiency in time, effort and use of ingredients are the keys to success (and knowing how to make it wonderfully tasty!).

Kate is also live broadcasting cooking lessons from the kitchen every Thursday morning – see the Facebook page for the Ready Steady Cooking Classes!

Future plans include community vegetable growing and community meals (a bit like the British Restaurants in the 1940s) although that will have to wait for post-COVID times.

Can it be sustained? The project places a big demand on Kate, but she has trained many chefs and cooks in the past so the plan is that she brings on enough volunteers to be able to run the project without her.  As a social enterprise the project could be financially viable if about half the meals made are paid for.

BBC Coverage

On 15 February 2021 BBC Points West profiled the project:

Links

Wivey Food Project https://www.facebook.com/wiveyfoodproject/

Wivey Cares https://wiveycares.net

National Park and AONB Review

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The Government has announced a review of National Park and AONB designations and roles.  Malvern Hills AONBThe terms of reference for the review, that starts in June and will report in 2019, are:

  • the existing statutory purposes for National Parks and AONBs and how effectively they are being met
  • the alignment of these purposes with the goals set out in the 25-Year Plan for the Environment
  • the case for extension or creation of new designated areas
  • how to improve individual and collective governance of National Parks and AONBs, and how that governance interacts with other national assets
  • the financing of National Parks and AONBs
  • how to enhance the environment and biodiversity in existing designations
  • how to build on the existing eight-point plan for National Parks and to connect more people with the natural environment from all sections of society and improve health and wellbeing
  • how well National Parks and AONBs support communities

Expanding on work already underway, the review will also take advice from Natural England on the process of designating National Parks and AONBs and extending boundary areas, with a view to improving and expediting the process.

The terms of reference also state:

“In 1949, the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act established these national parks, which the minister of the day described as “the most exciting Act of the post-war Parliament.” That legislation created a statutory framework for National Parks and AONBs. In brief, National Parks’ purposes are to conserve and enhance natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage; and promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of national parks. For AONBs, the primary purpose is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area. Now, as the oldest National Park approaches its 70th anniversary, comes a chance to renew this mission. That is the context in which this review takes place.”

The review will hear evidence from interested groups and individuals.

Quantock Hills AONBFunding of AONBs will be a key issue. Traditionally they have been the poorer relative, dependent upon support and finances from their local councils, whereas the National Parks are nationally funded.  With local government finances under increasing amounts of pressure for the last 10 years and competing demand for resources for education, social care etc, AONBs have really struggled to secure their positions. Many have had to reduce their staff teams and activities down to a basic core. At the same time an inherent conservatism amongst some residents of AONBs, many of whom will have spent significant amounts moving into a protected landscape, have made it difficult for AONBs to diversify their activities and create new economic opportunities. The government’s review is perhaps the time to put AONB funding on a more secure and sustainable footing.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/designated-landscapes-national-parks-and-aonbs-2018-review/terms-of-reference

Community Plan update for Lawrence Weston

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We’re working with the wonderful people at Ambition Lawrence Weston to update their Community Plan.

Lawrence Weston Community Plan workshopIn March Julian facilitated a one day workshop for local residents and workers. We considered the achievements of the 2013 Plan, the five year context (which you can see on YouTube) and priorities for the local area. There was even a pub quiz on the results of the community survey.

We’re now doing lots of data crunching and preparing a draft of the updated plan. This will go for further consultation and ultimately adoption by Ambition.

Who is the new developer for Bristol Carriageworks?

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Carriageworks facadeThe Carriageworks has a new developer!  Following much recent speculation the Carriageworks Action Group has confirmed that the new developer is the Bristol based PG Group. PG have exchanged contracts with Opecprime (aka Comer Homes) to purchase the freehold of the Carriageworks and Westmoreland House site and aim to start building in January.

Stuart Gaiger, PG Group Development Director, said: PG Group logo - new developer of Carriageworks“The PG Group has acquired the site from Opecprime Properties Ltd with the benefit of the planning consent granted in July last year, and will now start work on a wide range of preliminary assessments,”

Gaiger went on to say that purchase of the site would allow the creation of a development that could contribute positively to an already vibrant community. “We want to deliver an enterprising development that respects and reflects the community ethos and, given the independent spirit that flourishes around the area, we look forward to some lively and interesting discussions.”

Lori Streich, Chair of Carriageworks Action Group, said: “We welcome this news that PG Group are buying the Carriageworks and Westmoreland House site. For over 25 years the communities adjoining Stokes Croft have lived with the neglect and dereliction. As a local developer we hope that PG Group will have the skill and commitment to deliver a development of which the community can be proud”.

Stuart Gaiger and his colleagues from the PG Group will be attending a Community Meeting on Wednesday 14 June, 6pm at the Kings Centre, King Square where they will say more about their plans and proposals to get the development going.

2MD’s Role with Carriageworks Action Group

2MD Regeneration has been facilitating and advising the Carriageworks Action Group(CAG) since it was formed in 2011.

  • We coordinated the consultation and writing of the Community Vision, published in 2012, which was subsequently adopted by Bristol City Council and became the ‘moral high ground’ for all proposals for the site.
  • We supported CAG and provided technical advice while the City Council started compulsory purchase (CPO) proceedings in 2012/13, culminating in the appointment of Knightstone as the preferred developer. However, the site owners then granted an option to purchase to London based Fifth Capital. This put the CPO process onto hold and Knightstone subsequently withdrew. Fifth Capital submitted a planning application in 2014.
  • We provided critique and commentary on the proposals which attracted 1400 objections and a referral by the Planning Committee back to the applicant with an instruction that they work with CAG to address a range of shortcomings. Fifth Capital, to their credit, then constructively engaged with CAG and this resulted in planning permission being granted in October 2015.
  • Since then we have supported CAG in its ongoing discussions with Fifth Capital, keeping the pressure on to ensure that the scheme did not grind to a halt amidst funding challenges.
  • Fifth Capital have now been replaced by the PG Group. We continue to support and advise CAG to help ensure that the development delivers the best outcomes for the local community.

Links

Who is PG Group?

What are PG Group’s plans and timescale?

What’s happened to Fifth Capital?

Ten years on, the Tamar Valley trails are flourishing

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Back in 2003 I started working with the Tamar Valley AONB, writing the business plan and funding applications for what would become the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project.

Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project early logoIt was an audacious project, born of a dream to conserve the increasingly forgotten mining heritage of the Tamar Valley and give the public access to the adits, railways, calcifiers and beautiful landscape.

£6m investment in the Tamar Valley

The project finally started in 2007 with £6m from nine funders, seven delivery partners and agreements with multiple landowners. Along the way there were many challenges not least the withdrawal of financial support by a key partner, Devon County Council, straight after the 2009 elections which resulted in another partner, Morwellham and Tamar Valley Trust, being pushed into receivership. The loss of Morwellham Quay from the project was a bitter blow but the hard work and commitment of the AONB and other partners saw the project through and finally in 2013 we saw the official launch.

Tamar Trails are a success!

Now threee years later the project is bedded in.  The project legacy is managed by the Tamar Community Trust, a social enterprise specially setup for the purpose, while the visitor hub is run by Tamar Adventures, a local business that provides cycle hire, high ropes, canoe trips and a host of other activities.  Their video gives a great taste of what’s on offer.

And the project even extended to include a Mountain Bike Development Project and the stomach churning Gawton Gravity Hub (more successful business planning and funding applications).

Impact!

Sometimes in this line of work it’s hard to point to the difference you make.  The timescales are long, many people are involved, sometimes projects end up doing something different to the initial intent.  But with the Tamar Trails the results and the difference are there and plain to see. Take a trip there and enjoy the place!

Julian

Stogursey Victory Hall has funding approved

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Stogursey Victory HallStogursey Victory Hall has had £400,000 funding approved by West Somerset Council.  The funding will go towards a major upgrade to the hall including refurbishment of the existing hall, an extension with new kitchen, function room and toilets, new changing rooms adjacent to the MUGA, a cover for the MUGA, car parking and landscaping.

In approving the funding members of the Council said that there had been a very impressive 25% response rate to consultation on the proposals. They added that they felt it was an excellent flagship project which would be of huge benefit to the community and a great legacy.

Funding applications have also been submitted to Sport England and Awards for All.

During 2015 we worked with Vivid Regeneration to prepare a feasibility study for the refurbishment.  We’ve been retained to write some of the funding applications and take the project forward to the appointment of architects.

Lawrence Weston – first step to Lottery funding

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lawrence weston community hubLawrence Weston Community Hub has passed the first hurdle on its way to securing Lottery funding from the Reaching Communinities programme.

The funding will go towards the cost of providing community facilities in the building as well as management costs in the first few years.

Now it’s a matter of preparing the Stage 2 bid, and then the Stage 3 bid!

The bid writing is being done by the wonderful Helen Bone at Vivid Regeneration. We’re doing the work on the business plan (as well as overall project management).

About the Lawrence Weston Community Hub

Lawrence Weston Community Hub is a new building that will contain a range of services including health, social, economic and education for the community. It is a project being led by Ambition Lawrence Weston in partnership with the City Council and Ridingleaze Surgery. Planning permission was granted in December and we are now working on securing the funding package before moving to detailed design and construction.